Our aim is to establish for NINDS-funded investigators an imaging core for comprehensive microscopy that will provide a coherent analytical bridge between TEM and advanced fluorescence microscopy techniques (such as confocal and two-photon imaging). Funding through the Neuroscience Center will support this effort by providing personnel with technical expertise, including a dedicated EM technician, to assist NINDS-funded investigators with their imaging needs and importantly to prepare samples for scanning and to operate the newly acquired TEM. A mechanism does not presently exist to make available to investigators the highly specialized skills in EM sample preparation, labeling, thin sectioning and analysis, that would significantly enhance many of their current and future NINDS-funded research projects by extending their investigation to the ultrastructural level. This new resource will be housed within the Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center (WABC) at the Salk Institute. The WABC is a newly established interdisciplinary research hub within the Salk Institute whose mandate is to apply cutting-edge imaging methods to study problems of critical biological significance. The WABC occupies -2,000 sq. ft. of newly renovated laboratory and office space and provides through a recharge basis, technical and logistical access to a range of imaging, support and analytic services, as well as computational resources that support digital image analysis, including workstations, printers and a high-volume data storage capacity.